Moments
by Tonyahuqt03
Summary: Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived. Moments in the BDH lives. New chapter Storm
1. Unification

Mal stood expressionless. The heat from the fire was making him sweat, but he didn't wipe his brow. The sweat trickled down slowly.

"You didn't have to do this." An older man said.

Mal didn't respond. He looked at the man. "Yeah, I did." He handed him the reigns to a colt.

"Mal, I can't. You need him more than I do. Mary and me we'll be ok. Maybe you can sell him to the Yengs."

Mal put the reigns in his hands. "I won't need him where I'm going. Besides, I owe you."

The man took a deep breath. Smoke filled his lungs and he coughed a bit. "All you owe me is coming back home alive."

Mal smiled. "Yes sir."

The man cleared his throat. "You should get going. They'll be looking for you son." The man turned to leave, but he hesitated. "Mal."

"Yeah."

"One other thing. Kill a couple of those sons of bitches for me."

Mal smiled. "That's the plan."

The man left with the horse. Mal stood there a moment longer and watched the fire. "That's the plan." He kissed the silver cross around his neck and picked up his bags. "That's the plan."

* * *

"You don't have anything to prove by doing this. I called Mademoiselle Marie, she said you can come back if you want…"

Zoë ignored the older woman talking to her. She was in the mist of packing.

"I watched your father, my husband and sons walk out that door and not return, I'll be damn if I'll do the same for you. If you walk out that door, don't bother coming back. They'll be nothing for you."

Zoë kissed the older woman on the cheek. A stream of tears ran down the woman's face. Zoë stood at the doorway and stared at the fragile woman before her.

"The difference between me and them is that I don't plan to come back." Zoë paused. "I love you." She turned and walked out the door.

* * *

"I don't git it. Ain't no money in it."

"Everything ain't about money."

Jayne paused a moment to that about the words that were just spoken to him. "Yeah it is."

The younger man chuckled. "Didn't you ever want to be apart of something that was bigger than yourself? This can change things."

Jayne leaned back in his chair. He took a sip of his alcohol. "Nope. If there ain't no profit, then I don't see the point of doing it."

He other man picked up his bags. He kissed Jayne on the top of the head. "You'll never change." He headed for the door.

"Anything you want me to tell 'em?" Jayne asked.

"Tell 'em I love 'em." The man shifted the bag on his shoulders. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone. Where I'm going I can't bail you out."

Jayne smiled. "Trouble my middle name…. Just don't git yourself dead."

The younger boy laughed. "Same to you."

Jayne watched him leave. "Damn fool."

* * *

Inara took another sip of her wine. She was bored of this conversation of the Unification War. But, when your client was a young captain in the Alliance conversation tended to lean in that direction.

"Inara, where do companions stand on the Unification War?" The young captain asked.

"Yes…please tell us Ms. Serra." Another dinner companion chimed.

Inara smiled. "Well I can't speak for all companions, but I'm for the war. I believe that people on the boarder planets can benefit from the technologies that the Allied Planets have to offer. I've heard that the boarder planets are pretty rudimentary."

"You've never been to the boarder worlds Ms. Serra?" The man sitting across from her asked.

"No."

"Well you haven't missed anything. A woman of your statue shouldn't have to see the monstrosities that are the border worlds. Those people are nothing more than backbirths."

There was unison of laughter.

"And the Independents…what do they call themselves?"

"Browncoats. After those hideous coats they wear. I believe that they are actually made with real cow hide."

"Ridiculous…this whole war is ridiculous the Independent army is nothing but a bunch of inbred backbirths with guns."

The young captain smiled warmly at Inara. He took her hand and kissed it softly.

"Gentlemen we're probably boring Ms. Serra with our talks of war. I say a change of subject is due. Ms. Serra you said that you trained on Sihnon?"

A subject that Inara was fond of, Sihnon. "I was born there."

"Yes Sihnon is a lovely planet. Especially in the spring. My wife and I vacation there quite often." One of the men at the table added.

"Yes, it's very lovely."

* * *

"Father have you read the latest papers? The Independent armies are growing." Simon handed his father the paper. He glanced at the paper and tossed it aside.

"Nothing for you to worry about. All you need to do is to focus on your education."

Simon fiddled with the pencil in his hand. "Why are they fighting? You would think that they would be grateful for the Alliance and all its technologies. I mean…"

"Simon…" His father interrupted. "Some people enjoy living in the dark. Don't you have some work to get to? You can't become Osiris brightest doctor if you focus all your attention to this silly war."

"Yes sir." Simon turned his attentions back to his work.

In the corner River sat listening to the whole conversation. "People don't like to be meddled with. We meddle." She whispered quietly to herself.

* * *

Kaylee's father dragged her by the arm. "If I catch you in the shipyard with another boy Kaywinnit Lee Frye I'm gonna take a switch to your hind quarters young lady."

Kaylee blushed. "Sorry, Poppa. I just wanted to say good bye to Chaz. You remember Chaz."

Kaylee's father stopped. "You mean Chaz, 18 year old Chaz?"

"Yep that would be him." She said meekly.

Kaylee's father gave her a stern look. "He's too old for you."

Kaylee smiled. "I know, but he was going off to fight and Miss Ana said we need to support our boys. So that's what I was doing."

"By kissing."

"She said help anyway you can. And well…that was the only way I could think of."

Kaylee's father laughed. "What am I gonna do with you?"

Kaylee kissed him on the cheek and linked her arm around his. "I bet Momma baked a pie."

"Pie you say."

"Yep."

* * *

"Ouch…Wash gorramnit can you please keep your toys off of the floor." A young man said. He picked up the offending toy and threw it at his sleeping roommate.

"How can you sleep?"

Wash woke up when the dinosaur hit him in the head. "Easy I close my eyes like this and then preceded to snore. Let me demonstrate."

Wash's roommate kicked off his boots. "You know that they posted the standings."

Wash opened one eye. "And?"

His roommate plopped down on his bunk. "Why do you care? You're sleeping."

Wash jumped up and put on his shoes. He ran to the door when his roommate stopped him.

"Wash!"

"What?"

"Pants."

"Huh?"

"You might want to put on pants. You know before you leave the room."

Wash looked down and noticed his lack of pants. "Pants are for pansies, like you. Real pilots don't need pants. In fact I fly better without pants."

His roommate threw a pair of pants at him. "Remind me never to fly with you. But, do us all a favor by putting on pants, cause no one wants to see your skinny milky white legs."

Wash tossed the pants back. "What do you mean by skinny milky white legs. I have the legs of a dancer." He pirouetted out the room.

He went to the main hall to check the standings. Another student was looking at the posting. Wash cleared his throat. The student looked at him funny and got out of his way.

"Yes make way for number…who the hell is…. and why is he number 1 and I'm number 2."

"Maybe because he wears pants Washburn."

Wash turned a saluted. "Sir."

"I have an assignment for you."

The Sergeant handed him a folder. "Your orders are in there. You leave in two hours."

"Yes, sir."

"And Washburn put on some pants no one wants to see your skinny milky white legs."

The Sergeant turned to leave.

"Yes, sir. Pants I'll get right on it." Wash checked the list again. "Right before I kick the ass of…"

* * *

"You sure you want to sell her son?" The barker asked.

"No I'm not sir. But the Alliance is making it harder for men like me to fly about."

The barker glance at the rusty looking ship. "She ain't much. Kinda looks like she's gonna fall apart if a good wind came through."

The other man smiled. "She'll fool ya that way. But you find a buyer who'll treat her right, well she'll keep flying long after you and me are dead." The man gazed lovingly at the firefly. "It's killing me that I got to sell her to you. But, I can't afford to keep her in repair."

"I'll give ya 23,000 for her."

"She's worth more than that."

"Son, that's a deal. It'll cost me more than to keep her here on my lot with taxes and all. She's an eyesore. I'll be lucky if anyone buy her…." The barker saw the hurt expression on the man's face. "Times are tough son. Take the money." The barker wrote a check and handed to the man.

He looked at the check as if it was crawling with snakes. "Thanks." He turned to leave, but without taking one more look at his beloved firefly.

* * *

"I would have never of thought to look for you here." A woman said.

Book looked up from his Bible. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. She sat down in the pew ahead of him. She looked around the church.

"I like it here. It's have a sense of serenity." She paused a moment. To soak in the peacefulness of the church. She handed Book an envelope. "These are your orders. You are to be at the rendezvous point at 18 hundred hours."

Book stared at the envelope. The woman smiled. Her smile was beautiful. She placed her hand on his cheek. Her hand felt both warm and cold at the same time. "God how I've missed you."

Book took her hand from her face. "I've paid my debut."

She stood up. "You think you have a choice. Be at the rendezvous point at 18 hours…this is a beautiful church." The woman left just as quiet as she had come in. Book watched her leave. He looked at the envelope one more time before standing. He looked to his right at the stain glass window. It was a rendition of Ary Scheffer's _Temptation of Christ. _He looked at the window for some sort answer, some type of absolution, but he got nothing. Book walked slowly back to his room at the hostel. He pushed his bed aside, and then he pulled up one of the floor boards, and pulled out a black box. He threw the box on the bed beside the envelope. Book stared a moment at the objects on his bed. He knew what he should do, he knew what he had to do, but all he could do was weep.


	2. Stars

"River what are you doing it's freezing out here?" Simon asked shivering.

"Counting the stars." She whispered. River little fingers danced in the sky as she counted.

"You can't count the stars River, there's too many."

"I could if you stop talking and help me." River replied continuing counting.

Simon took off his jacket and wrapped it around his little sister. He took a deep breath and started counting.

* * *

Mal gazed out the window of the ship. He couldn't believe that he was leaving his home. He always believed that he would die on the same dirt his father, his father's father, did. But they saw that wouldn't likely be happening. As Shadow grew smaller and smaller and the vastness of space surrounded him he got the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Then a star caught his eye. He wondered it that was the exact star he wished on when he was 11 that he would get to second base with Suzie Thompkins. Then he noticed another star that was the star he wished on when he was 14 that his Momma didn't find out about him and Claudette Yen. Mal noticed a really bright star, which seemed to stand out from the rest. He knew that one was the one that him and his Momma wished on every night to chase the darkness away. He closed his eyes and made a wish. All of a sudden Mal didn't feel so lonely, Shadow didn't seem so small, and he was going to win this war.

* * *

Zoë held her eyes closed tightly, she didn't want to open them. She let her father talk her into going on a space walk with him, today. As her feet lifted off the ship, Zoe longed for the security of gravity and she vowed never to take it for granted.

"Open your eyes sweetheart." Her father said over the com.

Zoe shook her head no. The idea of nothingness frightened her to no end. Her father tapped on her helmet.

"Come on. I've never known you to be scared of anything Zoe Alleyene."

Zoe held her eyes shut even tighter. "I'm not scared, Colonel."

"Then open your eyes."

Zoe finally gave in and opened her eyes. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She had grown up vessel side and seeing the black was nothing to her. But, actually being in the black that was something totally different. Being able to see the infinite beauty of it first hand was something words couldn't describe.

* * *

"This it?" Jayne grunted.

"Seems so.." The other man replied.

Jayne squinted his eyes, "It's just more space."

* * *

"Momma! Momma! Momma!" a young Wash screamed. A tired looking woman ran into the room.

"What is it Hoban?" She asked out of breath.

"I think I see one!" The boy screeched, pointing out the window.

The woman stepped closer to the window to see what the boy was pointing at. "See what, son?"

"A star." He replied dreamily.

The woman kissed her son on the forehead. She didn't have the heart to tell him wasn't a star it was just a billboard for the new factory they were building in town.

"Ain't it shiny?" He looked up to his mother for her answer.

She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around her son. As long as she remembered the sky had been so polluted that you couldn't see the stars. Stars were a myth, they weren't real to her.

* * *

"Ms. Serra?" A small voice called from outside of Inara's door. Inara opened the door and was greet by a timid young man. He was holding an envelope in his sweaty hands.

"Chaz what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked warmly.

Chaz looked as if he was going to puke. "I uh, I uh, wanted to thank you for a lovely time."

Inara smiled. "Yes it was."

He handed her the envelope. "I got this for you."

"This wasn't necessary, my time with you was gift enough."

Chaz blushed. "I, I just wanted…." Before Inara could get the envelope open Chaz blurted out, "It's a star. I had a star named after you. My father is the head astronomer on Beliyx… It's the brightest star in the system."

Inara blushed. "Thank you. That was so kind of you."

"You're welcome. Ms. Serra." Chaz answered. "I was… I was wondering if…"

Inara cut him off she placed on finger on his lips. "Chaz I can't."

Chaz starred at his feet, he blushed. "I guess you get asked that all the time. Don't know why I would be any different." He paused. "Thank you." He smiled weakly and left.

As Inara watched the young man leave, she looked up into the night sky and longed to be anywhere than where she was.

* * *

Book bent down on one knee. He couldn't remember the last time he had done this. He felt foolish, but he was out of options. It was worth a try. He took a deep breath and looked up to the night sky. "I wish I may I wish I might I wish upon a star tonight…"

"What are you doing?" His partner looked at his curiously.

Book got up. "Nothing."

"It's going to be bloody." Book's partner pulled out his gun and checked the rounds.

Book took out his gun and cocked it back. "It always is."

* * *

Kara looked at her newly purchased, Class code 03-K64 – Firefly Transport. Her father thought she was crazy buying a Firefly, they weren't good for anything but burning fuel. Kara didn't care, she always wanted a Firefly, and it was something about the design.

"What are you going to name her?" Kara's first mate asked.

"I was thinking Star Gazer."

The first mate shook her head. "That's dumb."

Kara laughed. Yeah. I guess we're going to have to take her out, and let her name herself.


	3. Death

The first time Mal died it was on a muddy blood soak field. His heart stopped, his chest stop rising, and his body went limp. He saw the great white light, his mother, father, and little brother. They were all calling him like sirens to step into the light. He followed their voices blindly. He saw her. Her beautiful angelic face, her emerald eyes, her one dimpled smile, and her raven curls.

"I've missed you." He whispered.

She placed a single finger over his lips. "It's not your time yet."

The light grew dimmer. Their faces began to fade. He reached out for them, but they pulled away. She took his face and kissed him. It was short but full of passion. "I'll be waiting. We all will. But, it's not your time."

* * *

Book was once known as the harbinger of death. He had brought death to so many men, woman, young, and old. So the thought his own death was quite poetic, to die a bloody death. He wasn't afraid to die now. He had found what he was looking for all those years in a small mining town with the men, women, young, and old that the verse had cast off. He had found redemption. Now all he wanted in his brief moments before death was for him to find it, to find what it took him years to find, hope.

* * *

Jayne had always imagined to die in a blaze of glory with bullets, grenades, knives, blood, guts, and swears. He never thought he would find death at 93 in a cottage surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grand child.

* * *

Simon didn't have any regrets he did everything for love. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to give her the world. And for a brief time, he did. They both were happy, his two great loves. He was a realist and he knew that happiness didn't last forever. He knew that they would keep coming after her, after them all long as she was a threat. His death would bring an end to it all. It would bring them both of them happiness. She would have a normal life without a constant reminder of what they had done to her. And she would move on, forget that day he hurt her. Simon lived his life with no regrets. He would do anything for their happiness even die.

* * *

"Don't know. I'm starting to like this poetry thing. Here lies my beloved Zoë, my autumn flower, somewhat less attractive now that she's all corpe-ified and gross…" He moved the pillow from his face. He grew silent.

"Hey make me a promise."

Zoë turned to face him.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "When I die promise me that you'll get remarried."

She made a face. He turned to her and looked at her. There was nothing but love and concern on his face. "Seriously we all know that you will out live me. You and Mal. There could be a nuclear holocaust and you and Mal would climb out the ashes…"

She cupped his face and kissed him. He wiped the tear from her face.

"I worked to hard to get you smile, don't want all that work to go to waste. Because your smile makes the stars look like crappy twinkle lights."

Zoë starred into another man's eyes as was pledging his love to her. Every word that he spoke pierced her like the wooden steak that went through _him_. It wasn't that she didn't love him because she did more than anything. Her love for another man killed her. She made a promise to find happiness, and she was a woman of her word. This man standing in front of her brought her happiness in ways she could never imagine. She hadn't been looking for it, but it was right there. It had always been there and so had he.

* * *

A bullet was his number one guess, falling out the sky in a burning ship, running out of oxygen, and Reavers made the top of the list. Zoë saying no to him when he proposed also could be a cause for his death. Mal and one of his crazy schemes that never went as plan was a contender, River mistaking him for a bug and squashing him made his list of ways to die. Inara and the look she gave him when he walked in on her first night during her cleansing ceremony and Zoë because it took him a minute to cover his eyes. Simon and his so called "cooking" almost did him in on several occasions. He had been bored to death by the Preacher's sermons, and the day that Jayne would finally make good on his promise to punch his lights out, could definitely cause his demise. But, a giant wooden stick crashing through Serenity's window Wash never saw that coming.

* * *

She had been to the end of the verse and back. Fought Reavers, the Alliance and any other go se the verse threw at her. Blood, tears, laughter, cries, bullets, punches all came through her hulls. When they hurt she hurt. When they were happy she was happy. She was their salvation and their damnation. And when they were gone, she died as well.

* * *

Kaylee had been so wrapped up in her own emotions that she missed that Serenity was hurting. She knew Serenity better than she knew herself. Every bolt, wire, gadget, and gizmo that laced her and when she couldn't fix her…it killed her.

* * *

Inara watched Serenity take off. You couldn't tell it by looking at her, but Serenity was beautiful. She loved that ship. It hurt her to leave her and her rag tag crew, but it killed her when he didn't ask her to stay.

* * *

She didn't even realize that she had it in her hands. The way they looked at her. They didn't want her. It would be better to go with him to be his bounty. Because, if River had to see their faces like that again, she would die. 


	4. Storm

In nature there is a calm before the storm Mal got that. But he never really got is why people said that about life, because if this is the "calm", then the storm is going to be a bitch.

* * *

Wash could feel the storm brewing of epic proportions. He felt her presence before she even step foot on the deck. He spun around in his chair and smiled. "So, things didn't go as planned?" Tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, had nothing on his wife when she was pissed off.

* * *

"Please." The man begged. "I have a wife, two young children."

It started raining harder. "I'll give you what ever you want, just name it."

The gun cocked.

"Please, I'm sorry."

Thunder crashed and a sound of gun a single bullet to the head.

Book wiped the gun clean and placed it in the now dead man's hand.

He found the closest bar and ordered a drink.

"Storm getting worse…" The barkeep said absently as he wiped down the counter.

Thunder crashed and a sound of a single bullet to the head.

Book swallowed his drink pulling out a phone. "I'm finished." He said closing the phone.

Book then stepped out into the storm praying that the rain would absolve him.

* * *

Simon was never a Romeo. He defiantly wasn't a Cyrano de Bergerac. He wasn't even sure what he had said to her. He replayed it over and over in his mind. "Kaylee, I'm sorry." He called out. But, it was too late. She had already stormed out.

* * *

He came into her life like a storm. Destroying all the walls she had built up. He swept her up in his winds of wonder. Flooding her with his love. His laughs moved her like claps of thunder. The storm is gone, and nothing is left but the stillness.

* * *

"Again." His voice was cold and distant. River felt erode, worn down, she couldn't take anymore.

"I don't wan to." She cried.

"Again." he snapped.

And like a raging storm she fought back.

* * *

Jayne smirked. He curled up his arms making muscles with both. "This is thunder." He kissed his right arm. "And this is lighting." He kissed the other arm. The girl giggled as Jayne scooped her up.

* * *

Her passion swelled inside of her like a firestorm, an intensity that she couldn't contain any longer burning inside. She kissed him. Nipping at his lips running her fingers through his hair. "Mal." She whispered.

"Nara." Mal called.

Inara jumped up. She gathered herself up before she answered the door. "Yes."

Mal stood in the doorframe. "You alright? You look a bit flushed."

"I'm fine, Mal." Inara lied. She was all but fine.

* * *

There were a few things that Kaylee missed about home. Her Momma's cornbread, her father's laughter, her brother's smile, and most of all the rainbow that came after the rain storm.

* * *

Serenity was much more than a ship. She was a savior and their damnation. A reminder of their past, a promise of a future. She was a safe haven and a hell. Serenity weathered the storms with them and gave them peace of mind.


End file.
